With the sepia browns, soft greens and a touch of blue, this scene is not about color, it’s about texture. The house has a roof of varied tiles that provides interest despite the single tone of brown. The wall is the color of old parchment with touches of worn down paint and breaks in the plaster that display the stone base. The magic in this photo comes from how the various textures bring the home and the scenery to life. In your home, texture is just as important as color when you’re decorating. Every type of flooring invites textural contrast in your furniture and accessories. A wood floor warms up with a wool area rug or a squishy corduroy easy chair and ottoman. Carpeting is more inviting when an old wooden chest shining with many years of polish sits on it. Look for fabrics with varying textures to add personality. A throw pillow in figured velvet or embroidered silk can add a touch of elegance to a simple sofa. A knitted throw with fringe can offer the same kind of surface variation as this home’s roof or the bark of the trees. Do you love this photo? Well, while you may not be able to move to Italy and live with this type of scenery, you can warm up your home with touches of the old world textures shown here.

Porcelain tile is the hard working chameleon of the tile world. Known for its durability, porcelain tile is denser than ceramic tile, making it more resistant to stains, chipping and temperature changes. It is a great choice for flooring throughout the house and is a popular choice for kitchens and baths.   Porcelain tiles come in an almost infinite number of sizes, surface textures, and colors.

Size

Porcelain tiles range from 1in. x 1in. to 20in. x 20in. squares, the classic 2 x 3in subway tile to uniquely shaped modern tiles.  When considering what size tile to select, think about how the tile will function in the space. Do you want a strong pattern? Choose smaller tiles. Do you want a more uniformed look? Select larger tiles so there will be fewer grout lines.  You may want to do a mix of sizes, large squares with smaller accent tiles to give more interest to your floor or backsplash.

Texture

Porcelain tile is available in everything from high gloss to matte faux-travertine textures.  Rough textures faux-stone porcelain tiles are a great option for a shower or bathroom floor. Porcelain tiles are a popular option for a kitchen floor because of their durability and easy maintenance.

Color

Like ceramic tile, porcelain tile comes in a rainbow of hues.  Solids, speckled, and stone patterned tiles mean that you will easily find a porcelain tile to match your home’s style and décor. Many of today’s porcelain tiles are almost indistinguishable from stone.  You can find choices from travertine to marble to linen in a variety of colors.

This room, although clearly constructed of today’s materials, strongly echoes days of yore when a person’s home was his castle – literally.

Would you like to insert a medieval flavor to your décor? Take a few tips from this room to get started. Only a few of these touches will take your space back more than a few centuries.

To begin with, the slate floor helps to create the character of a castle while avoiding the problems associated with the reed floors popular at the time. Slate’s rich variety of color and texture adds a crafted mood to the floor that suits the Gothic mood of this room.

The window, doorway and fireplace surround echo a gothic mood with the classic arch shape. Although it is rarely seen, several window companies offer windows with this Gothic arch, and a number of companies offer window coverings that will work for this shape. The style certainly maintains the feel of another time.

Stone carvings and tapestries suit the space and keep to the medieval framework. Choosing tapestry throws to cover the upholstery and adding candles and greenery also complement the look. The balcony almost begs to see Shakespeare’s youngest heroine waiting for her Romeo.

While you may not want a room as strongly set in time as this one is, there are inviting elements for anyone who wants to echo another age while creating a unique space to suit their own tastes.